ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – Creighton junior Doug McDermott is one of 12 players selected by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association
for its 2013 Oscar Robertson
Trophy Midseason Watch List. Members of the association's
board of directors chose the players to be included on the list
as contenders for the Oscar Robertson Trophy presented by Aflac.

The
award is to be presented to the national player of the year by its
namesake at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards
on April 15 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in
Oklahoma City. The Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award
and the Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award
will also be presented at the gala to be held annually the Monday
following the NCAA Men's Final Four.

Teammates from Indiana and Kansas headline the watch list that
includes four Big Ten players. Indiana's Victor Oladipo and Cody
Zeller are joined by fellow Big Ten standouts Trey Burke of Michigan
and Deshaun Thomas of Ohio State. The pair of Jayhawks named to
the list are Ben McLemore and Jeff Withey. Big East standouts Michael
Carter-Williams of Syracuse and Russ Smith of Louisville join ACC
star Mason Plumlee of Duke as players who were also recognized.

A pair of Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week from this
season are featured as well: Doug McDermott from Creighton and Burke.
Also, two natives of Canada, UNLV's Anthony Bennett and Gonzaga's
Kelly Olynyk, were selected. Overall, the list is balanced by class
with two seniors, five juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen
appearing.

McDermott leads the nation with 526 points and 182 field goals and is second with 23.9 points per game. He's shooting 56.3 percent from the field, including 51.6 percent from three-point range, and also makes 86.3 percent of his free throws for a team that is 19-3 and has been ranked in the top-25 of every poll this season. McDermott was a finalist for the Oscar Robertson Award last season as well and was recognized by the USBWA as a First Team All-American.

While these standout players are the leading contenders to be
named to the USBWA's All-America Team and as finalists for the
Oscar Robertson Trophy, all Division I players remain eligible for
postseason honors from the USBWA. The association will announce
its 2013 All-America Team in mid-March. At that time, finalists
will also be chosen for the player of the year. Once finalists are
announced, the entire USBWA membership will vote for the winner
of the Oscar Robertson Trophy.

Tickets and sponsorship information for the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards
are
available at the Tisdale Award website,
access-sports.net,
or by contacting Scott Hill (405-749-1515,
scott.hill@access-sports.net).
The April 15 banquet will also honor Michigan State coach Tom
Izzo as the recipient of the Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award.

Since the 1958-59 season, the USBWA has named a National Player
of the Year. In 1998, the award was named in honor of the University
of Cincinnati Hall of Famer and two-time USBWA Player of the Year
Oscar Robertson. It is the nation's oldest award and the only
one named after a former player.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in
1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers.
With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential
organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America
team since the 1956-57 season.